Will the real Bernard Pierce please stand up?

Once BP gets into the backfield, nobody’s catching him.

Thumbing down the roster about an hour before the Villanova game, I was heartened to see the number of my favorite Temple player right next to my favorite Temple player’s name.
No. 30.
Bernard Pierce.

Then the game began and that wasn’t MY Bernard Pierce wearing No. 30.
He had a couple of OK runs, but OK runs won’t get you on a Heisman Billboard.
I’ve called him “The Franchise” from the first day I saw him play. Others call him BP. Others call him St. Bernard.
Another website even called him Bernie’s MAC show.
I like The Franchise.

That’s why tonight’s game (7 p.m., Lincoln Financial Field) against Central Michigan is so important. Temple needs the real Bernard Pierce to stand up. Temple needs Bernard Pierce to make a Heisman run for it to have any chance to run the table and Pierce needs Temple to run the table for him to have a chance to win the Heisman.
It’s a symbiotic relationship.

I don’t know what mind games Al Golden was or wasn’t playing, but there’s no way a 5-foot-5, 150-pound back should be starting over a future NFL first-round draft choice. Matt Brown is a great little change of pace back, but he’s not Bernard Pierce.

Golden started Brown because he said Brown “worked harder.” Well, I’m 5-5 and I might have worked harder than Pierce if I was 30 years younger, but I’m no good. Somewhere talent has to be factored into the equation.

Yeah, I said it.
Bernard Pierce will be a first-round NFL draft choice and it will be on an April day after his Temple junior season is completed.
Not the pedestrian Bernard Pierce I saw against Villanova, but the Bernard Pierce who won the PIAA high school state championship in the 100-meter dash as a senior and the Bernard Pierce who broke every single Temple freshman running back record last year.
So the question begs answering?
Why only 75 yards on 20 carries against Villanova last week?
The reasons are many and varied.
Let’s look at five possible choices:
1) Starting Matt Brown
Golden started Brown because he said Brown “worked harder.” Well, I’m 5-5 and I might have worked harder than Pierce if I was 30 years younger, but I’m no good. Somewhere talent has to be factored into the equation.
I don’t think St. Bernard ever got into a rhythm and that might have been the chief reason.
2) Villanova’s eight in the box
Villanova keying on him might have been another reason, but a lot of teams keyed on Pierce last year and he flat-out abused them.
3) Offensive line was a little off
Even though BP ran behind the same 318-pound (average) line last week he ran behind last year, I don’t think those 318-pounders played up to their potential last week. Except for Colin Madison’s pancake block to free Brown for a 17-yard touchdown, I didn’t see any pancakes.
I didn’t see any syrup or butter or bacon, either.
So factor in the line’s subpar performance as the third reason.
4) Is Bernard hurt?
I heard a couple of students at the pre-game tailgate say they saw him limping to class last week, but I didn’t see Bernard limping on the field so he’s healthy enough.
5) Bad game?
Another possible reason. Everyone has bad games. Gale Sayers had bad games. Heck, even Paul Palmer had bad games.
That’s why tonight could. … SHOULD … be bounce back night for BP, his offensive line, Temple’s coaches and everyone else.
If he doesn’t go for at least a buck 50 and at least couple of scores, I’ll start to worry but I don’t think I’ll have to because the Bernard Pierce I know from last year was relentlessly consistent.
I expect relentless consistency tonight. I expect the real Bernard Pierce and the real Temple offensive line to show up and explode off the ball like only they can.
Throw in a few Chester Stewart/BP ball fakes followed by long touchdown passes to wide-open Owls and this offense will really be humming.
Then the numbers will match up with the names in the program and this offense will blow the MAC up.

7 thoughts on “Will the real Bernard Pierce please stand up?

  1. Mr. Gibson,One more reason why the Franchise didn't have the type of game were accustomed to seeing from him: THE PLAY CALLING- First, I don't think Temple ran a single play action on first down. Second, Temple didn't pass enough on first and second down. I'm so pumped up for this game tonight. I really hope to run into you at a game one of these days so I can thank you for this website in person (I'm a broke college student or I would have donated already.)

  2. I think BP was hurt last week (and still may be hurt this week). As I type this it's the 3rd quarter of the Temple vs CMU game and it's 7-7 BP scored our touchdown. Seems like he's sharing the load w/ Matt Brown as they both have 10 rush attempts. I don't understand why BP doesn't have all 20 of those attempts. wtf is Al doing over there???

  3. Why aren't Temple football games broadcast on the Temple cable network TUtv?

  4. First off, thanks. I was a college student once and I know how poor I was then.Second, I'm exasperated (excuse my spelling … haven't slept in 24 hours). Our offensive coordinator calls plays like he never played offense before (wait, he didn't … he played linebacker at Penn State and was linebacker coach at Temple before being named the OC).Third, our defensive coordinator thinks we're playing North-South all-star rules and we can't blitz.I don't think we blitzed once against Nova and we blitzed only twice against CMU.Chester Stewart has looked very spotty to me and that's the best thing I can say about him.If we play like this the next two weeks, we'll be 2-2.Bernard Pierce, if he's healthy, should be getting 90 percent of the carries.

  5. Our offense was pretty poor tonight, that's for sure…but the one thing that is different about this Temple team from the TU teams of the past: they are learning how to win the close ones, the nail biters. When they needed to Make. A. Play. — they did it. 4th QTR 35 seconds left: big sack and fumble which ran out the clock. OT: big INT by Kee-Ayre Griffin. OT: Clutch FG by McManus. Hey the team didnt do everything perfect, the defense was solid throughout though and they did what all good teams do: Find a Way to Win when youre locked in a dogfight. There's a fine line betw. 4-8 and 8-4 in sports. it's those 4 close close nail biter games where you need to STEP UP in big moments that either makes you a 4-8 squad or an 8-4 squad. That said, they have to play WAY better all around vs. UCONN

  6. absolutely. two good teams. two decent wins. BUT … and this is a big BUT … I thought Temple would play a lot better in both games.I thought Temple would beat Nova 35-14 and CMU 27-17.There are some serious chinks in both the offensive and defensive game calling.Bernard Pierce wasn't hurt the first half. He should have been out there every first two downs and our offense should have played off the fear of him getting the ball (ever hear of the play-fake and quick six over the middle?).It kills me when the Owls let an immobile quarterback have any time back there. If you can't get to him with four, try five. If not five, try six. But get to the immobile QBs.Temple is in serious trouble if it takes this kind of vanilla game plan into UConn.

  7. One good thing that has come from these first 2 games… Temple has had a top 10 highlight on sportscenter… lol

Leave a comment